sidemount for deep diving?

[ucfdiver]

One "has" to be back-mount to do Advanced Nitrox, Deco, and cave? Is this truly a requirment?

How can an agency require that? Or is it just something "expected?

If someone has the source, I would love to know how the "back-mount" became a requirement. I could understand a preferred configuration, but not as a requirement.

Depends on the instructor and what they can teach. For NACD, you can teach full cave in sidemount only if you've been checked off to teach the sidemount specialty. There's plenty of instructors who are allowed to teach courses in sidemount. Hopefully none would teach in mixed teams, but this wouldn't surprise me.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

One "has" to be back-mount to do Advanced Nitrox, Deco, and cave? Is this truly a requirment?

How can an agency require that? Or is it just something "expected?

If someone has the source, I would love to know how the "back-mount" became a requirement. I could understand a preferred configuration, but not as a requirement.

At this point its mostly an instructor thing.

 

[Jax]

At this point its mostly an instructor thing.

Okay, that's cool and completely understandable. An absolute like, "you must dive back-mount" does not make sense.

 

[Rick Murchison]

I have to disagree with that. If you have your sm configuration set up well, there is no 'floppiness'. I do some pretty crazy stuff in my sm. Including going through tight restrictions. I scooter with my sm all the time. I have never once had an issue with my sm being floppy, that is if its hooked on right. Oh, and you can't really turtle in sm

If you're using AL, it ain't a big deal. If you're using steel, (which the turtle comment sorta hints at) - got any movies?
Rick

 

[Dive-aholic]

My mom just finished her AN class and will be doing Deco in the next few weeks. To do this class, she must be bm doubles.

This is absolutely not true. Every course I teach can be done in backmount or sidemount. Standards do allow this. There is no reason to make a diver dive a configuration they do not regularly dive just to complete a class. In fact, IMO, doing so is inappropriate because now the instructor is certifying that diver at a level in a specific configuration that the instructor knows the diver will likely never dive again.

 

[Rick Murchison]

This is absolutely not true. Every course I teach can be done in backmount or sidemount. Standards do allow this. There is no reason to make a diver dive a configuration they do not regularly dive just to complete a class. In fact, IMO, doing so is inappropriate because now the instructor is certifying that diver at a level in a specific configuration that the instructor knows the diver will likely never dive again.

Echo...
Ditto...

Rick

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

This is absolutely not true. Every course I teach can be done in backmount or sidemount. Standards do allow this. There is no reason to make a diver dive a configuration they do not regularly dive just to complete a class. In fact, IMO, doing so is inappropriate because now the instructor is certifying that diver at a level in a specific configuration that the instructor knows the diver will likely never dive again.

Rob I am wondering, in order to teach someone in SM dosnt the instructor have to be a SM instructor as well? I think maybe some people mistake the difference between must be in BM and instructor can't teach you in SM.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I'm almost certain this was a case of instructor teaches in BM only(infact, I'm 98% this is the same instructor I went through for all my Cavern/Cave courses), for the reasoning that they(instructor) dive BM primarily.

IMO, thats a good call on the instructor's part. If they don't have the experience in SM, I'd rather they not try to teach me in that configuration. Part of knowing their own limits.

If at that point, you want instruction while in SM, you just go to a SM capable instructor.



FWIW, I know that my instructor has been doing alot of SM diving this year, so he might be teaching in that configuration in the future - but not until he's sure he's competant in it. No need to be like the rash of other new SM instructors, who've JUST learned to dive that way and want to teach it.

 

[carrielsal]

In my SSI TechXTR classes I have to be in BM. My instructor does not dive sidemount. I hadn't thought much about it before Jax's post, but the SSI XTR books only discuss BM configuration.

 

[tflaris]

NAUI requires BM and their ntec configuration.

Also SSI requires BM but I have never asked Mike Ange for clarification.


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